The Mets had one of the worst offenses in the league, however, after David Wright and Daniel Murphy there are few offensive players to rely on. Josh Satin was one of the biggest surprises on the 2013 squad and was probably the third best hitter that ended the season on the Mets. Satin should be considered for a place on the 2014 and beyond Mets 25-man roster.
Satin’s 2013 raw numbers were very efficient; three homers, 17 RBI, 30 walks, .279/.376/.405/.781 slash line, and a 123 OPS+.
The first thing to touch upon is his walk rate; it was at a very respectable 13.6% of all PA. He can walk at a very effective rate and Sandy Alderson will appreciate that. This led to a very flashy .376 OBP that is only going to rise as he adjusts more to Major League pitching.
Satin has always had a great read on where a baseball is going to drop, and while he possesses great patience, when he puts the bat on the ball he has great results. His BaBip (Batting Average on Balls in Play) is an exceptional .379. This is a very important statistic to look at because it really shows that he can swing the bat and make it effective.
Satin does not contain that much power in him, but he does have a reasonable slugging percentage at .405. This is because 34% of his hits are for extra bases and he slugged out 15 doubles in only 190 at-bats. Doubles are extremely important off the bench because it puts him into scoring position while possibly knocking in a run.
An interesting part of his game is that he hit better at Citi Field than anywhere else; Home: .286/.371/.462 Away: .273/.379/.733. In reality, he hits very well home and away but it is interesting to see that he can hit anywhere. He is also a very good situational hitter; he hit .268 with Runners in scoring position and even better with runners on base in general- .292. He was also a great hitter with two outs with a .278/.391/.426 slash line. The most interesting fact of his hitting is that he doesn’t have much of a gap in production whether the Mets win or lose.
Satin was an above average hitter that won the Mets 1.2 according to WAR and was the hero of numerous games during the summer and there should be given a spot on opening day. Not only does he thrive in high pressure situations, he is patient and has a talent for putting the play effectively.
Looked up Satin’s Stats…a few things.
I didn’t realize he had almost 200 ab’s….it’s a meaningful sample. His BABIP is OUTRAGEOUSLY High….And his strikeout rate is over 25%. He’s always been a hitter who will drive some walks.
LIKELY that the league adjusts a bit to him…. and VERY likely that the BABIP approaches MLB average. He’s selective enough so that he could retain a slight plus here—especially with the high strikeout rate accounting for many of his outs.
The isolated slugging percentage is below MLB average.,..think about that—he’s hitting at an Outrageously high BABIP, yet his ISO is low. This argues for the idea that he’s hitting LUCKY beyond his actual likely output.
Satin is defensively versatile to the extent that he can BARELY play 2 positions, 1st and Third. ….and he is unlikely to be able to carry an OF Glove. He is a below average base runner without any specialized skills or possible output OTHER than his bat.
LH batters with strong split differentials (versus Righties) and a bit of pop REGULARLY survive with “Josh Satin Talent”—RH batters of his type rarely stick. Unfortunate.
I think he’s earned another crack as a backup CIF/pinch-hitter in the big leagues. He’s just so darned patient and doesn’t seem to try to do too much.
2 things.
“The Mets had one of the worst offenses in the league”
An Absolutely false statement. They were top 5 in runs scored as late as mid-August if my memory serves me correctly, and were definitely top 7 at the before the start of Spring Training part 2.
BABIP measures “luck”. A high BABIP is not good because it means that you were luckier than usual, which for most batters is around .300. The fact that his BABIP is .379 means that he was lucky and is likely to have a regression next season.
But I think most of us value Satin just about right; a backup infielder who is capable of filling in for a while if someone gets hurt.
Satin is a useful player. He just shouldn’t be a starter.
Satin really hits lefties well – and he hit a lot vs. righties last year, so no reason his #’s in a strict platoon cannot stay strong.
So platoon him with Duda (who with the comfort of playing 1B, and playing vs. righties only, which he hits much better than lefties, should allow him a good bounce back) and you have a good composite 1B spot – one I could see doing 20 HR, 80 RBI, and .350 on base. Then fix one more OF spot and hopefully SS, thru free agency and/or a trade, and we should be in decent shape.
Pitching should be a juggernaut in 2015 – get thru this year.
I am just tired of platoons on this team. Can we get a few guys who can play everyday, hit lefties and righties and give some steady production.
I like Satin and feel he would be an asset getting about 300 PA a year.
I do worry that he’s in a bit of a squeeze. Typically, teams carry one backup capable of playing 1B/3B and one for 2B/SS. We know that if TC is managing the club that Justin Turner will be one backup. But will they be content having him be the backup SS? He played some last year and didn’t do too bad.
I think it’s a bit up for debate if the Mets break ST with Turner and Satin as their backup infielders. My dream is they trade Ike and Turner (Ike Turner, ha!) to Colorado for … well a lot of potential there. Then Satin is the backup corner infielder and they can carry someone better suited as a backup SS.
Well said Brian. Satin is not a starter but is a good RH bat in a platoon with Duda. Backup CIF and RHPH should be all his at the start of 2014.
Alderson needs some credit for using Turner as the backup SS and leaving a fielding SS at AAA. Turner adds more offense than the starting SS and is a better PH than any backup SS in the Met system. If the starter gets hurt the replacement is a phone call away.
Can he play SS! Can he play OF. If he learns those positions we have the super sub. He will clog bases since he isn’t fast, but has the power that thrives in stadiums like Citifield. Could claim #2 slot in order as a SS, if able to provide defense as one. I once more must think outside the box.